Mount Justice
August 23, 2017
11:16
McKenzie stirred in her seat, a pressing pain aching at her neck. With her eyes fluttering open lazily, she surveyed the lounge which her team had accidentally fallen asleep in, spotting the newest member. "Hey Noah," she greeted in a somewhat surprised tone. The demigod had assumed that the necromancer had quit the team after his terrible first week, so his presence was even better now that he chose to stay.
The boy smiled lightly, speaking in a whisper as to not disturb those still sleeping. "Hey Mack, how did you sleep?" He genuinely asked, tucking his phone into his pocket.
McKenzie's eyebrows furrowed as she started stretching her sore joints. "I slept okay," she said, stifling a tired yawn behind her hand. She made eye contact with the teen and, almost instantly, sensed the awkwardness flooding through his blue eyes as he pondered what to say next. McKenzie took this opportunity to speak her thoughts aloud, with a quiet and direct, "We thought you quit."
He blinked slowly at her assumption, a hand wavering through his dark hair. "I thought about it," he revealed through a deep-rooted sigh. He wouldn't lie to the half serpent, especially since, as far as he knew, she was nothing but completely honest with him. "But my girlfriend convinced me to come back," he added, watching as McKenzie nodded as she listened.
With a stand, she said, "Well, I'm glad she did." The demigod didn't give Noah a chance to respond as she focused her attention towards the kitchen, him following behind her closely. He watched as she filled a kettle with water before placing it on the stove to boil, pulling out two mugs. The taller girl turned to Noah, asking, "Are you a tea, coffee, or hot chocolate person?"
"Coffee," he stammered, unsure as to why she asked. After his statement, McKenzie opened the cabinet above the coffee maker, pulling out the contents to brew him a fresh pot. "You don't have to make me coffee, I can do it," he offered.
McKenzie shrugged her shoulders, "It's okay." As the coffee started to drip into the pot, Noah scrutinized the older team member, somewhat aghast from how kind she was. Her actions showing her care for her team. Ignoring Noah's gaze, she directed a question towards him. "Are you doing okay?"
"I'm more shaken up about seeing your guys' fears than my own," he reiterated for the second asker, playing with the ring he wore on his finger. The conversation the two were sharing reminded him of the one he previously had with Charlotte, motivating him to talk it out with the half serpent.
McKenzie, who had ripped open a hot chocolate packet, began pouring its contents inside a mug decorated with wolves. "We don't have to talk about it," McKenzie said in a flat tone, her hands occupied with filling the mug with boiling water before stirring the mug's insides with a spoon.
The necromancer stared down at McKenzie's actions, watching her carefully begin to fill another mug with water, this one adorning snakes. "We need to talk about it though," Noah pressed on the issue. The smell of coffee soon filled the small kitchen, gaining McKenzie's attention. She turned towards the appliance, filling three mugs with the dark liquid. "There's no shame in talking about the simulation," Noah continued, hoping to end McKenzie's quiet streak.
The soft-spoken girl turned to Noah, a tone of bitterness laced in her neutral voice, "The simulation hurt us, Noah. It exposed parts of us that were private. We are now just getting back to normal, so there's no need to look back." Noah couldn't find his voice to retort back, too shocked at McKenzie's change of demeanor. Instead, he looked down into his drink, his stomach flipping internally.
"Sorry," he muttered lamely, tracing the design on the outside of the glass. "I won't mention it again." McKenzie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her pointer finger and her thumb.
"No, I'm sorry," McKenzie apologized, looking everywhere in the room but at Noah. "I just don't want what happened to affect the team forever. If we ignore it…" She trailed off, her gaze finding itself focusing on the kitchen floor.
Noah understood where she was going with her statement, finishing her sentence for her, "If we ignore it than it didn't happen." McKenzie nodded in reply, taking her tea into her hands. It was at this time that Noah truly learned the sympathy and love that McKenzie had for her friends.
"You hungry?" McKenzie asked, trying to switch the subject from its current dark one. She opened the fridge, revealing a bright white box, a half-eaten birthday cake sitting inside of it. "Want some left-over cake?"
Noah's eyebrows furrowed once more. "Who's birthday was it?" He asked, somewhat surprised that he had missed it.
"It was Victoria's," she answered him, cutting him a piece of the dessert, and handing it towards him after placing it carefully on a plate. "It was on the nineteenth," the demigod answered. Oh, Noah thought, remembering where he had been on August 19th, that was during the week I took off.
Victoria returned to the base after previously spending the night in Gotham, celebrating her birthday early with her parents. After the nightmarish simulation, the girl desperately needed the break and to return home where normalcy stood. Or as normal as it could be, considering the night jobs her parents possessed. However, despite her family's occupation, the night was enjoyable and relaxing as they went out to eat.
Sadly, she had to return to the cave. Earlier that morning as she laid in her home bedroom, she received a text from Logan, reminding the girl to return to the mountain in order to be released from her stitches' hold. She had been hurt at first, expecting her phone to be flooding with birthday messages from her team, but then she remembered the gruesome experience they shared. She didn't blame them for forgetting about her birthday.
So, with those thoughts in mind, she practically dragged herself out from the Zeta-Tubes. "Surprise!" The yells shocked her, scaring her into clutching onto her chest. Her eyes were still wide as she examined the scene, McKenzie holding onto a decorated cake and Victoria and Logan holding party poppers in their hands.
"You remembered?" Victoria asked after getting over her initial shock, a smile spreading across her face.
Yessenia shoved a party hat over the older girl's brown locks. "Of course we did! You're finally an adult!" Both girls smiled largely, the simulation erased from their minds at the current moment. The Italian had finally turned eighteen, a remarkable age for anybody.
McKenzie shoved the cake in Victoria's direction as the group poorly sang the traditional birthday song, Victoria blowing out the candles towards the end. As they all cheered after the accomplishment, Logan interrupted the festivities, a camera in his hand. "Okay guys, get close and say cheese!"
"Cheese!" The girls hollered, each smiling in their own respective ways as a flash shuttered out of the camera.
Noah had no time to reply to McKenzie before Yessenia entered the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Victoria and Logan falling in step behind her. "I'm just saying that there were a lot of inaccuracies about the movie," Yessenia complained, continuing a private conversation that the three were having back in the living room.
"Oh, like what?" Victoria challenged through a stifled yawn. The Italian girl picked up a coffee mug that McKenzie had made for her, drinking it gratefully. It had become some sort of nonverbal tradition for the team: whoever woke up first made a fresh pot of coffee.
Yessenia rolled her eyes at the leader's statement. "How about the fact that it portrayed every Russian as a member of the mafia?" It was now Victoria's turn to roll her eyes, ignoring the statement as if Yessenia hadn't spoken. Flabbergasted, the Amazon threw her hands in the air in a child-like manner. "Are you telling me that Logan is secretly the godfather?"
Logan propped himself to sit on top of the kitchen counter, gripping onto his mug tightly with a serious look. He murmured a daunting 'cover blown'. McKenzie, who had picked up on the discussion's topic, snickered at the bewildered glare Yessenia snapped in Logan's direction.
"You three are impossible," Yessenia groaned, falling into a seat at the breakfast bar next to Noah. "At least Noah is back to maintain some balance in sanity around here," the prankster said, slinging an arm around said fifteen-year-old, sticking her tongue out at the remaining team members. The teen's shoulders were tensed and hiked up, uncomfortable with the fake contentedness in the room.
The necromancer looked into his cup deeper, as if his eyes could drink his beverage. He wasn't sure how each of them were acting as if the simulation hadn't occurred; hadn't bothered them in the slightest. The boy knew that what McKenzie said was true, but he also knew it was unhealthy to ignore problems, especially when they were that grim.
McKenzie watched Noah's actions, and before she could stop him, he spoke. "You guys know we have to talk about the simulation, right?" He said in a no-nonsense tone, putting his mug down. The room was soon filled with an eerie silence, all members looking down at the floor.
Victoria was the first to speak, "Some of us talked." But even the newly made adult knew that that wasn't the most accurate statement. Talking wasn't really on the mind as much as comforting one another.
Yessenia woke up quickly, her chest rising and dropping rapidly as sweat glistened on her body. In a heart-beat, the Amazonian had found herself at the edge of her bed, a trash can in her hands as she emptied out her stomach contents. She wasn't sure when she began weeping, but her vision soon became clouded with tears.
A knock resonated from her room's door, startling the already fear-filled teen. Her eyes glanced towards her bedside clock, which read 2:34. "Go away," Yessenia croaked, her voice breaking. The Amazonian princess closed her eyes tightly, trying to force her tears away. Despite her wishes, the door opened anyway.
She had expected Victoria to enter, as the girl's room was next door to her own and must have heard her vomiting and crying, but was surprised to be greeted by Logan. The young medic sat down next to Yessenia before plucking the vomit filled trash can away from her and giving her a water bottle, a hand wavering to her forehead. "You have a mild temperature," he deduced in a low whisper.
Yessenia recoiled away from him, wiping at her eyes furiously. "I don't want to talk about anything," she murmured, drinking the water he had provided her. The Amazonian wasn't dumb and neither was Logan, both of them knew that she had an intense nightmare.
"I know," Logan retorted. His eyes were squinted, his glasses and contacts far from reach. "But just because you don't want to talk about it doesn't mean you don't want company," he said wisely, staring at her. Her lip quivered for a brief moment, still shaken up over her nightmare.
As he was speaking, the girl had repositioned herself to be leaning against her head board. "I'm fine, I don't need-" she stopped her sentence short, reminding herself of what Black Canary had advised her earlier. "Actually, can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked, pulling her knees close to her chest. She wasn't use to showing vulnerability, especially with anyone other than her resident friend Victoria. However, there was a sense of comfort and understanding in Logan's eyes, allowing her to trust him.
He nodded before placing the trash can on the ground, making a mental note to clean it out after he left. Yessenia scooted to the left, leaving him room on the bed to sit next to her. When they were finally side by side, she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes once more to stop tears from escaping. She wouldn't be able to shake the image of her friend's dying any time soon. "Thank you."
Noah, who had become inclined in talking out his feelings with his empath girlfriend, became frustrated with his stubborn team mates. The young bat knew that even if the actions were to be awkward, in the long run it would strengthen the team and their friendship. "So, you guys are okay from your 'talk'?" He interrogated, borderline harsh and borderline kind.
"Perfectly okay," Victoria said through a forced grit smile. It was no secret that the teenager was against the entire principal of 'talking it out', preferring to deal with her emotions and baggage on her own. After the simulation, the girl had gone mute, working out in the training room until the wee hours of the morning. The team leader had ignored her injured thigh and ignored the medic's reasoning against her work out, instead choosing to punch through her feelings.
McKenzie had been quiet since Noah's outburst, upset that he had gone against her advice but proud that he had enough courage to speak out about the simulation unlike the others.
The necromancer shook his head. "If you are perfectly okay Victoria, then why are you nervously tapping your fingers against the counter's edge?" He asked her, a concerned expression etched into his face as he stared at her. The girl's fidgeting stopped, as she was now aware of her actions.
"Some people aren't talkers Noah," Logan said, trying to get the attention off of Victoria, who had become visibly uncomfortable. Noah's eyes shifted from the girl's onto the older male's, his eyes narrowing in on the boy's actions. The adult had been rubbing the inside of his arm through his jacket as he spoke, a nervous tick that Noah had picked up on.
Noah's eyes danced around the room, the blue orbs picking up on the slightest movements from both McKenzie and Yessenia. The demigod's hands were wringing in her lap, her fingers twitching the slightest at the contact, whereas the princess's foot was nervously tapping against the kitchen's floor.
The necromancer stood up from his seat next to Yessenia, speaking as he did so, "Batman thinks the team should consent to mandatory therapy, I was trying to stop him earlier, but now I think you guys need it." With that said, the bat left the kitchen, leaving behind a quiet, unsettled group.
The nagging voice in Victoria's head caused her to break focus from her text book once more. Noah is right, it repeated vindictively, leaving a sour and bitter feeling in her head. Closing her computer science book shut, Victoria left the base's small library in pursuit of her team members; her friends. We already saw the scary parts of each other, why are we scared to talk about it now? Victoria's mind kept racing, her heart now pounding.
She was afraid to use her voice to summon her friends, instead choosing to send out a mass text message. Victoria had only been an adult for the better part of a school week, yet it already seemed like an eternity as responsibilities kept piling itself on top of her. She entered the training room, which was no surprise since she fought against her problems in this room for months.
"Hey," McKenzie said, entering the room first, her phone in her hand. "I got your text; are we doing another training exercise?" As she questioned the mission's leader, the other teens soon entered the room as well. They all shared exhausted expressions from sleepless nights and too-little sleep naps. Victoria met everyone's eyes, summoning her courage to speak.
Victoria's fingers twitched at her sides as she answered the half serpent, "Not really. Tiny was right when he said we needed to talk this out," Victoria paused her sentence when Noah sent a glare in her direction, obviously displeased with his new given nickname. She continued when his look faltered, "And I thought it would be better to talk about it with each other rather than with a Justice League member, since we all experienced the same stuff." The teenaged group stared at one another for an odd moment, unsure what to do or say.
The Italian took the lead as she sat down on the cushioned blue floor, her legs crossing in an Indian style. It wasn't long before Noah was quick to join her side, a smile plastered firmly on his face. Once the others realized there was no escape from the discussion, they sat down on the mats comfortably. No one questioned the location where they were having this serious talk, all familiar that this was the room in which they acted the most team like. It had brought comfort and familiarity despite the current grievance.
When everyone was sat somewhat comfortably, Victoria started speaking once more. "Ask whatever you want or admit to your feelings and talk them out honestly," the key word honestly was added after Victoria witnessed her friends' expressions. For thirty seconds straight, the team remained quiet, all feeling too awkward to start out the seminar.
Noah sighed through his nose, looking over at Logan with a sorrow-filled expression. "I left the base because of you," he admitted honestly, his eyes scanning the medic for a reaction. Logan had taken in a deeper breath, his hand going back to his arm. "Killing is morally wrong, but-" he stopped for a moment, feeling guilty as Logan's face fell in shame and disgust, "-but after seeing what your dad put you through, I realized that if you hadn't killed him, I would have." The necromancer knew that the medic hadn't meant to hurt his father, let alone stab him, but his words still rang true. The anger that boiled inside of him at the sight was strong enough to make him consider breaking the number one Bat family rule.
The room was deathly silent for another moment as Noah continued, "It makes my skin crawl thinking about how often and for how long you were-" Noah didn't want to say the word raped, feeling that it was disgusting and that the verb didn't belong in a sentence along with Logan's name. "I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but I'm proud of you for sticking up for your little sister," Noah finished.
Logan's hand went up towards his face, his eyes glossing over in sadness at the sickening memory. He could only manage to stutter out a lame 'yeah' in response, too focused on not showing any tears to the younger team members. The embarrassment evident on his facial features convinced Yessenia to force attention off of him, but not before patting his knee in comforting reassurance.
"McKenzie," The Amazonian princess started, turning her body to face the demigod. "Are you scared of the team dying, or me dying?" The question was specific, which tugged on McKenzie's heart strings harshly. The two girls had similar yet vastly different fears, and Yessenia couldn't help but be curious in why she was the only one to get harmed in the older girl's nightmarish vision.
After taking in a deeper breath, McKenzie answered the younger girl with thought out words. Normally, the half serpent would never even consider speaking any of her feelings or thoughts aloud, but she abandoned her likeness for the sake of the Amazon. "I'm scared of messing up and it costing someone their life. Before Scarecrow entered the simulation, I saw that Bane was aiming to kill you and I was too busy being tied up to help you and-" McKenzie began nervously rambling, her hands shaking in the slightest. She could feel her simulated panic attack creeping up on her again.
Before she could spiral any further into the attack, Yessenia calmed the girl down by gripping onto her hand tightly, sharing a reassuring moment with the serpent. As her hands regained structure and her voice wasn't as shrill and quickly paced, she paid attention to Yessenia's words. "-And it wouldn't have been your fault," she assured.
McKenzie threw her arms around the bigger girl, shoving her face in the crook between her neck and her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she apologized in an even toned voice, Yessenia hushing her the entire time.
The Amazon looked up towards her best friend, aiming the next question at her. "Do you feel like we hate you?"
Victoria inhaled sharply. She had assumed that the team would question her about her thought pattern, yet she wasn't entirely prepared to admit it towards the small group. "I don't know… sometimes?" The looks she received varied from heart-broken to reassuring, and Victoria continued her monologue. "I don't think I'm the best leader for the team, even though you guys keep reiterating that I am. I'm rash, I'm impulsive, I'm not always the smartest…"
Noah, who had been taking mental notes the entire time, chose to speak up at this point, sympathy filling him towards his new-found team mate. "Red Hood is like that sometimes, but he's still a great leader for the Outlaws," his words struck something in the Italian girl, her eyes cast down in thought. It never occurred to her that there were different types of leaders, nor that she shouldn't feel guilty about her leading style.
Before another question could be aimed at a team member, Yessenia spoke up, her hand still tightly holding onto McKenzie's. "You're an amazing leader Tori, but you shoulder remember that there isn't even an official leader of the team. Everything that goes negatively isn't on you and what you planned," Yessenia reminded the girl.
McKenzie released Yessenia's hand slowly but confidently, moving closer to the leader. "It is not your fault that our simulation went astray and we don't blame you for it," the demigod added to Yessenia's statement, knowing that her friend needed to hear someone say that to her.
"You don't?" Victoria asked, her eyebrows furrowed in question once more. McKenzie nodded, casting a sympathetic look towards the insecure girl. The half serpent wasn't immune to feeling insecure herself, hiding away from everyone because of her unwelcomed feelings, so she understood what the taller girl was struggling through.
Victoria remained quiet after that, weighing out what was said to her in the past two minutes as she tried taking her team's kind words to heart. It stung knowing that previous school-yard bullies and her overstressed brain were the concoction to her fatigued mind. Yessenia, who knew of Victoria's haunted school past, hugged her best friend tightly, offering her what minimal support she could.
Noah smirked lightly, satisfied that not only did they trust him enough to adhere to his suggestion, but that it was actually benefiting them. He could see the tension ease off of Victoria's neck as she hugged Yessenia tightly, comforted by the younger girl. It was moments like these that reminded the girl why she was a hero in the first place.
"How have you been dealing with it Yes?" Victoria asked her after separating from her embrace. The two had briefly discussed the Amazon's feelings after the simulation and how straight forward and somewhat noble her fear was.
The Amazon girl's eyes went down cast, before scrambling back up to meet everyone else's eyes. I am an Amazon and this isn't appropriate behavior! I am a warrior! The girl chastised herself, before speaking. "I've been having a couple of nightmares," Yessenia admitted, her eyes glancing over at Logan momentarily. "My nightmares have just been the simulation on repeat," the admittance was revolutionary for the girl, feeling stress rolling off her shoulders. She hadn't discussed the nightmares in detail with the medic, but he had a hypothesis on what they were about.
Logan's eyes had softened, "How frequent have they been?" His question had been out of care as he hypothesized whether or not long-term medication would prove beneficial to the Amazonian princess.
"About every night," Yessenia added to her confession, her foot tapping on the floor slowly and cautiously. Everyone in the room had gone through their fair share of nightmares, but not any so frequent. Yessenia chewed on the inside of her cheek as the team stared at her with worry. She wondered if she would ever be the same again.
Mount Justice
August 24, 2017
14:05
"The Flash, A-04," the computer called out to the cave. After the call, a white light flooded the entrance to the mountain, Barry Allen exiting its intensity with squinted eyes.
"I will never get used to that," the Scarlet Speedster joked with himself, a slight chuckle hidden behind his voice. As he was speaking, he moved towards the monitor at hyper active speed to type in extra sets of numbers. It wasn't long before the AI computer granted access to two more arrivals. From the light, two late-aged teenage boys entered the mountain, each carrying their own bags.
The taller of the two smirked as he looked around, pleased with the scenery. "Now this is what I call a base," he whistled. The nineteen-year-old mixed teen looked back at the other, who was of clear Indian decent. "Better than the last base anyway," he joked.
Barry smiled lightly at the younger man's reaction. "Sorry about that," he apologized, his smile never leaving his freckled face. The speedster had to slow his actions down as he led the two deeper into the cave and towards the gym, where he figured the team were training.
The two teens, who had been in training for the past twelve weeks themselves, had been stationed in a cramped up hide-out which had been abandoned by the league years ago. The location, which had been in the colder region, was anything but comfortable for the two newcomers. So when they finished their training requirement, neither boy could contain their happiness as they were able to leave.
The three entered the gym, immediately being targeted by offset batarangs. McKenzie, who had been sparring against Noah, had ducked away from the flying projectiles, which resulted in them whizzing past her and towards the door. Without effort, Barry caught the weapons before they were able to strike the two teens. The speedster tossed the weapons at the ground, a grin stretched across his face at the scene.
Not only were McKenzie and Noah sparring against each other, Victoria and Yessenia were also at each other's throats in a match. While they were fighting, Logan sat to the side tinkering with the simulation's headsets, a screwdriver clenched tightly in his hand. However, at the sight of the esteemed Justice League member, the group's training was forgotten as they greeted Barry.
Victoria heaved air in deeply as she scrutinized the unknown occupants. She wheezed out a measly, "Who are they?" However, before Barry could respond, the taller of the newcomers stepped forward.
"I'm Oliver, but you can call me whatever you'd like," his tone was flirtatious as he offered the Italian a wink. The half white, half African American teen was quick with his words, seemingly unfazed from Victoria's bewildered expression. Oliver stood tall, his frame muscular and thick; however, his style didn't support that. His shaved head was concealed underneath a pastel pink cap which sported a floral pattern, and his dark blue jeans had been rolled up a little over his ankle, making him look soft.
Victoria looked over at the other boy, who was slightly shorter than Oliver. He wasn't short by any means necessary, as they both had superior vertical length compared to the other members. "Raja," he said in a simple, yet gruff, tone. Unlike Oliver, his style supported his tough image. Raja wore a black leather jacket over a white shirt, both fitting him perfectly to show off his muscular frame. The 'softest' thing about his appearance was a white feather necklace, which lay on his chest neatly.
Barry looked at the group and offered them another smile, patting Oliver on the shoulder briefly. The two knew the only reason he was the one introducing them to the team was because he could do it the fastest, and that theory was proven right by Barry's following words. "Well, I have to be going. Central City isn't going to save itself!" He barely finished his sentence before dashing out of the room in pursuit of the city.
The team looked at one another awkwardly as their eyes focused on the new comers.
"Well," Victoria started speaking, looking at Yessenia for support. "I'm Victoria, but you can call me Tori," her voice was laced with confidence as she outstretched her hand to shake Raja's. His hand shake was firm and rough, his grip on Victoria's hand tight. He released her hand only to have Yessenia's hand shoved into his.
The Amazon stood tall, sizing up the new members. "You can call me either Yessenia or Yes," she greeted. This reminded her of the time when Noah was being introduced to the team; however, she felt more comfortable with the smaller boy in comparison to the two bigger and older males. Even though she had lived in the city with Black Canary for a lengthy period of time, she often felt unsure around unfamiliar men.
Noah stopped resetting his utility belt in order to introduce himself, somewhat happy that he was no longer going to be considered the 'new team member'. His hand seemed childish when it was in the palm of either boy, but he didn't let that discourage him. "I'm Noah-" He started, before Yessenia finished with a quick 'or Tiny!' interjection. His glare was futile as she simply grinned.
McKenzie, who had been quiet until now, waved at the new comers. "I'm McKenzie, but I also answer to Mack or Adder," her voice was low and quiet, her eyebrows furrowing at Raja's expression. He seemed bored, almost angry.
"And what do we call you, Pretty Boy?" Oliver asked in Logan's direction with yet another wink. The taller teen had side stepped the others, his arm slinging around Logan's frame with ease. The medic's face flushed red in embarrassment, stuttering out his name lamely. Oliver's grin only widened at the timid boy's reaction. "Oh, I'm going to like it here."
Sorry for the late update, but as some of you know, I had sprained my wrist and was unable to type. I hope that that wasn't an inconvenience, and to repay you guys for the late update I'll add another chapter within the next three days. As always, it would be great if you guys answered this chapter's questions:
1. Which characters do you like the most/dislike the most?
2. Which relationships/friendships could you see happening?
3. Personality questions: Which Hogwarts house is your character in and why?; If your character would be an Avenger (Marvel Comics) which one would they be?; What would your character dress up as for Halloween?